When my husband, Andrew Melby, suggested that Krampus would be a good HILF subject to do for our first Holiday episode, he unwittingly stepped into the guest seat.  Krampus - the pagen-era Yuletide devil that predates the Baby Jesus - is an awesome and intriguing subject to delve into; proving that the only thing that surpasses Melby's taste in podcasts, is his taste in women. 

PART 1

Welcome and a little chit-chat on the insightful and hard-hitting subjects like The Spice Girls and pros and cons of nose rings.

00:06:58 - Melby explains why he assigned Krampus and wherein lies the intrigue. 

00:10:00 - Dawn's primary research sources includes: 

• The Krampus and the old Dark Christmas by Al Ridenour
• The Old Magic of Christmas by Linda Raedisch
• Krampusnacht - Twelve Nights of Krampus edited by Kate Wolford

00:12:08 - Dawn begins with Krampus's origin - where and when we find him... and with a preemptive apology to our German audience. 

00:13:45 - It all began with a witch named Perchta.

00:16:16 - The Home Visit. ...or when Krampus comes into your living room and all hell breaks loose. 

00:19:04 - Deep, dark winter and how those who know It, know Krampus better than most. 

00:27:00 - Greetings from Krampus, and the greeting cards that started a craze. 

00:30:21 - So you wanna start your own Krampus? Good idea, here's where to start: 

00:31:50 - When the Catholic Church meets Krampus; and how a ban becomes a BAND!

00:37:16 - You think Karens are bad? Meet the Wild Barbaras and Dark Lucys. 

PART II

00:42:45 - St. Nicholas the Star saint of Christmas. 

00:48:14 - Naughty n' Nice list, Jingle Bells, Leaving Milk & Cookies: How your favorite Christmas traditions started with Krampus. 

00:50:30 - Filling out your Krampus with the spicy details: The Rempler, Venusberg and some big-ass hats. 

00:56:45 - Why do we have Krampus? Dawn's take: Fun is life. 

01:01:00 - Sign off and introduction to next episode [new every other Wednesday - next Jan. 5th] The History of the F-word!

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**We are a new podcast and still growing and learning. More resources and links will be available... as we get better at this. Thanks for listening and please reach out to let us know where you are and what you want us to F next.